Champions League & Europa League Draws: Bringing People Together.

You knew it was coming, right?

The draw is done and it’s all sentimental in England as a couple of return flights have been booked for the boys of Milan, Davey Becks and Jose Mourinho. Though as nice as David’s Old Trafford return will be – he plays for Milan, which I continually need to remind myself, because he doesn’t really…not yet – this one’s going to be all about Chelsea, Inter and Jose’s technicolor personality. The game itself will probably be incredibly boring – after all, who knows Inter better than Ancelotti? – but the pre & post-game should be epic.

The rest of the draw has some ’stories’, but the big’uns are easily the games involving the Milanese squads.

Internazionale v Chelsea
Lyon v Real Madrid
Milan v Manchester United
Olympiacos v Bordeaux
FC Porto v Arsenal
CSKA Moscow v Sevilla
Stuttgart v Barcelona
Bayern Munich v Fiorentina

The French have undoubtedly been given what we’d like to call ‘breathers’. Bordeaux’s Group A experience – Bayern & Juve – was met with arguably the easiest draw possible for the knockouts. Meanwhile, Lyon have finally been given a reprieve after their punishment of Barcelona last year, as the last time Real Madrid made the quarters Greece had yet to hoist a European trophy. (’03-04.)

(That’s half-joking for people who don’t do internet speak.)

Barcelona have been rewarded for last year’s performance with a team that’s goal differential away from the relegation zone.

But perhaps the story belongs to Fiorentina and the Italians. The Viola had an 80% chance of not facing Bayern, their most difficult draw. Who did they get? Bayern, of course. This means the Italians will have to play Manchester United, Chelsea & Bayern. That’s not going to do wonders for the ol’ UEFA Coefficient. Platini was clearly peeved once his beloved Juventus was sent hurtling down to the Europa League.

Speaking of the Europa, that draw happened too.

Rubin Kazan v Hapoel Tel Aviv
Athletic Bilbao v Anderlecht
FC Copenhagen v Marseille
Panathinaikos v Roma
Atletico Madrid v Galatasaray
Ajax v Juventus
Club Brugge v Valencia
Fulham v Shakhtar Donetsk
Liverpool v Unirea Urziceni
Hamburg v PSv Eindhoven
Villarreal v Wolfsburg
Standard Liege v FC Salzburg
FC Twente v Werder Bremen
Lille v Fenerbahce
Everton v Sporting Lisbon
Hertha Berlin v Benfica

(Round of 16 draw here.)

Ajax & Juventus is arguably the “name draw”, while the two battles of Holland & Germany, PSV v HSV and Werder v Twente, might draw in the football enthusiasts.

It seems a little cliched, but they’re all, to some degree, good games and it should be. These are the knockouts after all.

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Category: Champions League, World Football